The Stingiest Man In Town

"The Stingiest Man In Town" (1978) is a Christmas special created by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, which featured traditional animation rather than the Animagic most often used by the company. It was an animated remake of a long unseen, but quite well-received, live-action musical special which had originally starred Basil Rathbone, Martyn Green, and Vic Damone. The live-action version had been telecast in 1956 on the anthology series "The Alcoa Hour".

Plot

The 1978 version, based on the famous Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol", is a tale of Ebenezer Scrooge told through the persepctive of narrator B.A.H. Humbug (voiced by Tom Bosley) obviously a word play on Scrooge's catch phrase Bah Humbug. Scrooge (performed by Walter Matthau} is portrayed as the tightwad Charles Dickens intended him to be with his consistent resistance to assist the poor or even have Christmas dinner with his nephew Fred, performed by Dennis Day and his family. In hopes of resuscitating the goodness of his one-time friend, the ghost of Jacob Marley (voiced by Theodore Bikel), Scrooge's former business partner, visits Scrooge in his mansion, exhorting him to change his ways. Scrooge deems this to be madness and soon prepares for bed.

Nevertheless, Scrooge's attitude soon changes after a fateful night wherein three ghosts also visit him and take him through his past. Within these pernicious shadows (which Scrooge created because of his avarice) and maliciousness toward his fellow men, Scrooge sees a younger caricature of himself, voiced by Robert Morse and realizes how cryptic he has become. The Ghost of Christmas Present (performed by Paul Frees proceeds to take Scrooge to the home of his diligent employee Bob Cratchit and discovers just how much poverty Cratchit and his family wallow in. Cratchit's son Tiny Tim voiced by Bobby Rolofson, a crippled youth touches Scrooge's heart and instigates a transformation within his personality. The production concludes with Scrooge manifesting his enhancements as he assists those less fortunate than himself.

References

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0227562 "The Stingiest Man in Town" at IMDB]